My 2001 Pathfinder (R50 ) mild/budget build

[quaintbucket]

Hey stioc,

Sorry to hear that you're having issues with the diff and possibly the transmission. Hopefully you'll be able to figure out what it is. Was there something that tipped you off?

I got curious about your lift and was wondering what made you removed the OME lift and switched to AC lift. I'm currently in the process of figuring out which one to budget for.

 

[stioc]

Yeah the diff is howling like crazy at anything above 20mph.

To answer your question (I get at least one PM every two weeks about this very question ) I switched to the AC springs to get more height -that's the short answer. Long answer/opinion/rambling next. Ask yourself a couple of questions before deciding on the suspension lift. First, are you a rock crawler or are you an overlander? Two, what terrain do you encounter? Three, how much extra weight are you carrying? For e.g. I like to think I'm an overlander but as you can tell from some of my pics that I often go out with friends who are into tackling obstacles for fun and the terrain here is rocky in general, lastly I travel with approx 1000lbs over stock - between people, armor, water, fuel, camping supplies etc. I found myself at a disadvantage with a lower ground clearance to clear the 2-4ft boulders on some of these trails. At the time AC springs was the only clear option and it has worked well for me so far. However, today I feel a better option exists that I've recommended to a few people with good results- OME springs (HD or MD) and get Steve's (4x4design.com) HDPE or NX4's aluminum front spacers to get the additional lift. Keep in mind also that lifting has its other downsides too (high center of gravity, CV angles, alignment) so unless your usage dictates the height moderation is good.

For 90% of us my opinion is that we would need: Manual hubs, OME springs (with a 1" spacer if you chose MD instead of HD springs), KYB front struts, Bilstein rear shocks, 245/75/16 tires. That's a pretty good setup IMHO and Allof75's truck is a great living example of it. For the 8% that often play in the tough terrain and carry lots of weight I'd suggest a setup similar to mine i.e. like armor, 32" tires, AC springs, locker, bumpers/winch etc The last 2% in my mind can be divided half and half into those that want the looks and those that want to truly rockcrawl these trucks or perhaps both...the end result is about the same (lift wise anyway) i.e. 6" SFD lift, big tires (34-37" have been fitted with trimming), SAS, lockers, armor, bumpers, winches etc.

Just my humble opinion...

 

[quaintbucket]

Hm, well that's good for me to know what to watch out for on the diff. Hopefully you'll find it soon.

Thank you for the explanation and what you said makes a lot of sense! I know I have encountered and turned away from fishing hole and viable hunting grounds because of massive boulders in the way that I know my pathfinder in its current state can't make it through. Sounds like the AC lift would be best in my situation.

Do you feel the AC give you a more truck-like ride? Only reason why I ask is because this is still technically my daily driver for the time being until I have a garage/space for a 3rd vehicle.

And one last question... did you ever get a chance to measure your coil springs with the inside diameter, outside diameter, and overall length before installing? I'm just wondering.

 

[stioc]

Yes, the AC springs ride harsh which is why I don't normally recommend them unless you know it's what you want. Look on NPORA too while some people absolutely love them you'll also see several people that have had top-out issues with them, camber issues, CV failures, one member had a strut failure (perch broke at the welds), accelerated strut wear etc. They do get better with time but still not like the OME ride quality unless you drive fairly laden. Think about it, the only way they can give the extra height is by upping the spring rate so they compress less, effectively limiting suspension travel which transmits the jolts etc to the body more. IMHO a better way to achieve the lift is to use a spacer plus softer spring like the OME MD or even HD. You'd be pleasantly surprised at the amount of lift you'll get with fresh OME springs, spacer and +2 tires (245/75/16).

I know I did way back when but never saved the info. The overall length if I recall was just about 1/2" or so taller than the standard springs, they're just a lot stiffer.

 

[Weekender41]

'They do get better with time but still not like the OME ride quality unless you drive fairly laden.'
Exactly this! My ride was so dang harsh with the ac lift that I added the bumpers so it didn't feel like it was on stilts. Feels great now though!

 

[bushnut]

as a counter point I do like the ride of my Iron Man springs, though I hear they are getting hard to find. The rear IM springs have lifted me 2in but the front only 35mm so I added NX4 spacers, that helped level things out but, it just wasn't enough...I just ordered another 1in spacer from 4x4designs to stack on top and hopefully level it out. If It makes the ride bad or I end up with top out or Cv issues I'm only out about $75 bucks

 

[wreckdiver1321]

From my experience with Land Rovers, even the HD OME springs ride like butter. They do their job exceptionally well.

Stioc, sorry to hear about your diff issues. I've had enough of those to know how quickly stuff can add up. I hope you make it out without your wallet crying too much! Best of luck.

 

[stioc]

as a counter point I do like the ride of my Iron Man springs, though I hear they are getting hard to find. The rear IM springs have lifted me 2in but the front only 35mm so I added NX4 spacers, that helped level things out but, it just wasn't enough...I just ordered another 1in spacer from 4x4designs to stack on top and hopefully level it out. If It makes the ride bad or I end up with top out or Cv issues I'm only out about $75 bucks

Exactly my point. There's no reason to suffer from a harsh ride (unless you carry a lot of weight in the truck) if you can achieve the height with softer springs and spacers as needed.

Stioc, sorry to hear about your diff issues. I've had enough of those to know how quickly stuff can add up. I hope you make it out without your wallet crying too much! Best of luck.

Yeah, this is why I don't like to modify engines etc anymore. I find that you open it up once and chances are it'll never be as good as it was from the factory. It'll hurt the wallet a bit as I also just received a speeding award from the nice highway patrol officer the other day- the damage there was $495 - it's all part of fun! :safari-rig:

 

[Allof75]

Yeah, this is why I don't like to modify engines etc anymore. I find that you open it up once and chances are it'll never be as good as it was from the factory. It'll hurt the wallet a bit as I also just received a speeding award from the nice highway patrol officer the other day- the damage there was $495 - it's all part of fun! :safari-rig:

What a coincidence! I just walked away with a warning from an Oklahoma State Trooper last week.

 

[stioc]

Nice. Yeah I don't have your innocent look :elkgrin:

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Yeah, this is why I don't like to modify engines etc anymore. I find that you open it up once and chances are it'll never be as good as it was from the factory. It'll hurt the wallet a bit as I also just received a speeding award from the nice highway patrol officer the other day- the damage there was $495 - it's all part of fun! :safari-rig:

I am with you there! I learned in high school that when you start fiddling with major mechanical components, you start bringing down their life expectancy. I've blown up enough engines to know that if you're going for reliability, nothing beats stock.... unless you're driving a Land Rover.

Ouch, that's a hell of a ticket! My last one was $55, but I drive like a granny. The cops in my town suck. It's a small town, so they get bored. That means they'll ticket you for seriously weak stuff. I had a friend get a ticket for not being stopped at a stop sign long enough. I've gotten a ticket for doing 28 in a 25. Ridiculousness.

 

[bushnut]

The cops in my town suck. It's a small town, so they get bored. That means they'll ticket you for seriously weak stuff. I had a friend get a ticket for not being stopped at a stop sign long enough. I've gotten a ticket for doing 28 in a 25. Ridiculousness.[/QUOTE]

thats the price you pay for living in a town where people aren't shooting each other over dime bags of weeds....

 

[wreckdiver1321]

thats the price you pay for living in a town where people aren't shooting each other over dime bags of weeds....

Touche...

 

[Allof75]

Nice. Yeah I don't have your innocent look :elkgrin:

I'm gonna say it was the Eagle Scout decal hahaha

 

[radex7]

Thanks, I appreciate the kind words and feel free to copy anything you find useful.

Here're the part#s but you may want verify to make sure they haven't changed.

KYB Struts: KG4163 (amazon.com)
Bilstein shocks: SKU: SPKBPF96LFTRR (4x4parts.com)

Thanks for your reply!
This thread is moving rather quickly!

So, I did some more digging. Here is a couple of number for those interested (and stioc please correct me if I am wrong).

The KYB number provided above (KG4163) is for KYB rear shocks.
Front KYB struts in a lift kit that came from 4x4parts are KYB-335016 and KYB-335015. Both currently on sale at KYBoutlet.com

I am still unable to find Bilstein rear shock generic part number, so if anyone has that - please chime in.